Bridge Scandal Papers Point to Cover-Up by Chris Christie Allies  —  Officials loyal to Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey went to elaborate lengths to make it appear that the September closing of lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge was part of a traffic study, even though …

The Funniest Part of Robert Gates' Very Serious New Memoir  —  My colleague John Dickerson has already analyzed former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates' memoir Duty; I'm punching my way through it.  Present at the Creation this ain't.  Gates is a matter-of-fact, frills-free writer …

Crisis In West Virginia: Wal-Mart Calls In Police To Guard Bottled Water Delivery  —  Residents of South Charleston, W.Va., wait in line at Kroger to buy water following a chemical spill on the Elk River that compromised the public water supply of eight counties on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014.

People Not In Labor Force Soar To Record 91.8 Million; Participation Rate Plunges To 1978 Levels  —  Curious why despite the huge miss in payrolls the unemployment rate tumbled from 7.0% to 6.7%?  The reason is because in December the civilian labor force did what it usually does in the New Normal …

Supreme Court to mull right to lie in political ads  —  The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case delving into the government's right to police alleged lies in political advertising.  —  The high court announced Friday afternoon that it will take up a lawsuit filed by Susan B. Anthony List …

The Medicaid Cure  —  Something really interesting is happening on the health-care front: costs are rising much less rapidly than anyone expected.  This is good news for the budget; it's also good news for Obamacare.  There was much skepticism about promises that health reform would …

House Dems break ranks with the White House on ObamaCare vote  —  Dozens of House Democrats broke ranks with President Obama on Friday to support legislation that would require people to be notified of security breaches under ObamaCare.  —  The House passed the Health Exchange Security and Transparency Act …

Beyond Polarization to Warfare  —  At WaPo's Monkey Cage subsite today, there's an important piece by University of Texas political scientist Sean Theriault that gets to a distinction in political attitudes that some of us have been trying to articulate ever since the radicalization of one of our two major parties occurred:

White House Dares Democratic Senators Pushing Iran Sanctions To Admit They Want War  —  WASHINGTON — The White House on Thursday challenged a group of senators to admit they are working to push the country toward war with Iran, upping the tension between the administration and Senate advocates …

State Department names groups behind Benghazi strike  —  The State Department on Friday for the first time blamed specific groups and militants for the 2012 Benghazi attack, designating them as terrorists — a move that further undermines initial claims the attack was spontaneous.

Georgia GOPer Attacking Free School Lunch Expensed $4,200 In Meals  —  Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) warned that there's “no such thing as free lunch” for school children in Georgia, but he seems to have enjoyed a few.  —  An investigation by Georgia's WSAV channel 3 found that Kingston …

Rachel Maddow claims Florida group that backs drug-testing welfare recipients is affiliated with Koch brothers  —  PunditFact isn't always the first to weigh in on the tit-for-tat of cable news shows, in part because the nature of our work requires more than claims and counterclaims.

U.S. to Recognize 1,300 Marriages Disputed by Utah  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Friday made the latest contribution to a fast moving legal battle over same-sex marriage rights, as the Justice Department said that the federal government would recognize as lawful the marriages …

Former Reagan spokesman Larry Speakes dies at 74  —  JACKSON, Miss.— Larry Speakes, who spent six years as acting press secretary for President Ronald Reagan, has died in his native Mississippi.  He was 74.  —  Kenny Williams of the Cleveland Funeral Home says Speakes died Friday at his home in Cleveland …

TREASURY: VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS EXEMPT UNDER ACA  —  AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Fire departments won't have to provide coverage to volunteer firefighters under the federal health care law, the U.S. Department of Treasury said Friday, easing concerns that the overhaul would force departments to slash volunteer hours or benefits.